Belly Dump vs End Dump vs Side Dump

Could someone wiser than I give the pros and cons of Belly, End, and Side dumps? What spec's work good and what to stay away from. Wintertime has got me kicking some ideas around for this summer or next year.

Well what do you want to haul! End dumps are the best for every thing, wet material to asphault, belly dumps are great for gravel, and dont work good with anykind of clay or big rocks, cold mix asphault or even frost. side dumps are also good for alot but you also have a chance of rollover with sticky material aswell as with biger rocks they can be tough on rims and tires if they roll back towards the trailer

Basically, while jsut getting into a new to me used outfit, and work the way it is, I want to be as versatile as I can be without having to buy multiple trailers. 8-10 years ago it seems like everyone was running end dumps or belly dumps, but now alot are going to side dumps. A reason to shy away from end dumps I could see as having overhead obstacles on a job and they are tip friendly if you're not dumping on level ground. I had always thought that side dumps like Deeretime said would be tough on rims. Knowing you won't be able to get in as tight a quarters as just a dump truck but I'd still like to be able to jockey around into some pretty tight spots if I had to, knowing chances will be good you'll always have to.

Around here, i wish i had a nickel for every live bottom trailer i see. There must be thousands in use around here. Hauling gravel. Not sure why the sudden popularity though.

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Around here, i wish i had a nickel for every live bottom trailer i see. There must be thousands in use around here. Hauling gravel. Not sure why the sudden popularity though.

Most of the Construction Co's here use them.Open gates an hit the throttle.Spreads Asphalt are anything else better.Means less blading.Seen them haul everything but big rock.But they are not to good for stock piling.End dumps are used to stock pile.

Cat,5X4 and a good cigar now we're hauling
And my overload permit starts after sunset.

If i was going to have 1 trailer to do everything it would be a quarter frame tub. They can handle anything from road base to stumps. The payload is low and they still have all the problems that come with end dumps, but they are marginally more stable. If i was only hauling -4" rock and dirt, a belly dump would be my first choice. Put the 2 trailers together and there isn't much you can't haul.

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OLD RANCHERS NEVER DIE,
THEY JUST QUIT HORSIN AROUND

I own all three and they all have there purpose. We generaly only use the belly dumps for road or parking lot gravel placement. Some people use them to stockpile but it requires more work for the loader operator. It seems like you cannot get on a state or federal job in the northwest with a end dump. The big guys want side dump and truck and trailer and the ability to be gross 105.500 lbs. You can get good with a side dump if you learn to position the truck and trailer so you do not hit the fenders and wheels ect. But a quater frame end dump about 26' to 30' is my pick. You can haul everything and if the ground is level you can tailgate the material out. They can haul stumps, demo, scrap, boulders ect. But there is two kinds if end dump drivers. One that have tiped them over and the ones that are going to tip em. Just make sure where you dump. If it is for you own company stuff go with a end dump. Framed or otherwise. If you want to subout. Go with a side dump. Three axle trailer with lift and a four axle T800. Just my 2 cents worth.

I have to say it all depends on who is running the truck aswell, i have seen some wicked work done with a super b belly dump cross gate trailers but they are hard on drive lines!! alot of dummies dont lock up before they start their spread and once you spin you have a big pile of dirt to crawl out of.

our end dumps are great we never had a problem with any of them, if you have a viborator in them it sure helps with sticky material and if the air is out they are reasonably stable, altho scarry to stand beside.

I have never had a live bottom tho and am curious to hear more about them!

I am new to the site and this is alot of great info. I am looking to buy an end dump and would like to know pros and cons of frame type, frameless and 1/4 frame. It will be used for ag purposes such as gravel, lime, fertilizer and maybe hauling junk off the farm. And maybe your prefered lengths of trailer might influence my decision as well. I really appreciate any and all info you might have for me.

I have both frame dump and quater frame dump i love the quaterframe it feels more stable than my frame dump. The frame is a 28 ft and the q- frame is 32 feet
and high sides. My opinion is. framedump pros: stable and usally built alot stouter than other types. also you can use them in rougher tarrrain.
Con: if you flip one your truck is going over also.
Quater frame pro: Stable has more points connecting to the box, All wheels dumping on the ground, can manuver in tighter areas after you dump.
and if your driver flips one it wont take the truck with it.
Cons: More moving parts
Frameless trailer i hate them and wont recomend them to anyone. But this is all my opinion. I haul all types of material like gravel,dirt ,boulders, green waste, asphalt, mud and demo and scrap steel. So i hope this helps you

Hey Big B, welcome to the HEF. Haven't seen anyone from Hawaii on here before.

Don't be afraid to share stories and pics, especially pics.

Ken

No good deed goes unpunished....
Things have been going great since we redefined success as slowing the rate of failure.
Education's expensive no matter how you get it.
You can get it right or you can get it now, but you can't get it right now.
You can get any two of good, fast, and cheap.

If its down to one trailer I think it is the side dump. We owned the first sidedump setup in this area. My driver would routinely lap the end dumps three times in a day. We would hire on with the larger construction companies in the area (since your from Wy you would recoginize the names HK, Western etc). Over the next couple years there was a side dump explosion here. Reason is, at least here, they just make money. I sold my Circle R and the 378 for the same amount I paid for the set up 5 years prior (this was in 05). No single trailer will be in demand on every job, but a sidedump will get you on a lot of them.

Here is a couple things I learned about side dumps. Turn the truck about 10 degrees into the dump when dumps large rocks or anything that might hang up. Check the king pin. Keep the plate well lubed. We only tipped ours over once and it was due to the plate wearing and when the trailer dumped it pulled the king pin and tore the plate like a sardine can. I felt that the more gearing options the better. You can lay a nice bead of gravel if you can go slow enough and manage the dump speed. I had an 18 speed in my Pete, worked very well in the sidedump application. I went through a lot of leaf springs. I would go with an air bag suspension next time. Also go triaxle with a rear lift.

big b, got more questions for you. I read that with frameless you want a rigid plate on the truck, what about a q-frame? I will be pulling hopper trailers too, so I do not want to limit my truck. Also I know that you want to dump the suspension on the trailer (if equiped) when dumping, what about the truck? My thought is that will make the dumping more stable, but I have experience with a buddy's frame dump about 10 years ago and it was only 22 feet. Also, does the q-frame make much of a difference in dry weight?

Foof, Yes you have to put stopers on the fith wheel they can be removed and installed in 5 minutes. They dont limit my truck and shouldnt limit yours.
Yes always dump air bag suspensions on the truck it makes it more stable when u dump.
I feel quaterframes are lighter than frame trailers because you dont have the large i beams for the frame .
I hope this helps ill try to post some picks of our trucks and trailers this week.

Diamond L it all depends on what you want to spend and where you want to work.
Here in Illinois belly dumps are like grain hopper bottoms almost useless except for dumping in pits.
You get the right dump trailer like a 39' frameless with a forklift package, a 3 way tailgate, and some tie down in your trailer then you're versatile. I used to haul everything from pallets of freight to small steel coils or certain types of scrap. I even used to haul rebar in mine. Some steel places frown on it, some don't. I know a while back we were hauling scrap steel into a mill dumping it and going on the other side of the plant and loading small stand up coils for a while. A couple flatbedders didn't like it when I told them what was the difference between me hauling in a dump trailer or them hauling in a coveered wagon(flat with sides). Next thing you know they were getting rid of their plywood sides and putting up steels sides and hauling scrap into the mill.
It's just like backing into a dock with a dump trailer, I used to hauling steel castings on skids from a place I used to haul scrap into.
I have hauled watermelons and onions in dump trailers before.
It just depends on what you do and who you know in the business.
It seems like in todays world you have to have that edge, but it doesn't last long because someone will come along and undercut you and then you're back to square one.
Good Luck.